Green Horizons

In October 2007, our farm became certified in the Missouri Tree Farm Program. Over the past several issues of Green Horizons, we have run a series of articles recounting why and how this came about. This is the sixth and final installment in our story.

We have earlier reported on the many benefits to our forest, to our resident wildlife and to our family resulting directly and indirectly from our active management efforts. We are well on the way to meeting our overall objective from the start; of creating and maintaining a productive, healthy and sustainable forest. In fact, our forest continues to improve in all three of these aspects with each additional management action we put into practice.

From the beginning, we chose to certify our farm in the Tree Farm Program. So, what does it take to become certified? Why is it important to our forest? Why is it important to wildlife? Why is it important to our family?

Your property must have at least 10 acres of continuous forest, and no more than 20,000 acres. You must have a written management plan prepared by a professional forester. You must consider air, water and soil quality, for conservation of fish, wildlife and biodiversity. You must also consider the visual impacts of your forestry practices and recognize historical, biological, archeological, cultural and geological sites. Your timber harvests, forest operations and reforestation efforts must all be responsible and comply with federal, state and local laws.

These criteria were second nature to us and I expect it to be the same for most well-managed forest properties.

Why is certification important to our forest? In a nutshell, because meeting all the requirements is the most direct path there is to ensuring a productive, healthy and sustainable forest! You must have a written plan. You must actively and responsibly manage. Meeting these essential requirements translates directly into improvements in your forest.

Why is certification important to wildlife? Because a forest under management for productivity, health and sustainability will provide more and better food, cover and water for wildlife. Acorn and fruit production in the stands of timber making up our forest is now many, many times what it was before we began. Overstocking, crowding and stifling of growth and productivity of our best acorn, nut and fruit producing trees has been virtually eliminated. Food abounds. There is much, much more cover for all kinds of wildlife now. Biodiversity has been enhanced by our management efforts, not diminished.

Why is certification important to our family? Certainly it is a point of pride for us to have achieved this level of stewardship. We are proud that our efforts and investments have produced a forest which exceeds the requirements for certification. But there are plenty of direct benefits of certification as well. Certification meets international standards of sustainable forest management. Today this means access to markets for timber, forest products and, perhaps in the near future, carbon credits. Other direct benefits that are no less important include all the information, training and professional advice we have received since becoming Missouri Tree Farmers. Call them up! Go to their Web site! Get moving on this, and I promise you one thing...your property will be worth more for your efforts. After all, the more you invest in anything, the more you can expect to get out.